Medical imaging apparatuses are used to acquire images showing an internal structure of an object. The medical imaging apparatuses are non-invasive examination apparatuses that capture and process images of details of structures, tissue, fluid flow, etc., inside a body and provide the images to a user. A user, e.g., a medical practitioner, may use medical images output from the medical imaging apparatuses to diagnose a patient's condition and diseases.
Examples of medical imaging apparatuses may include a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) apparatus for providing an MR image, a computed tomography (CT) apparatus, an X-ray apparatus, and an ultrasound diagnosis apparatus.
In detail, among medical imaging apparatuses, a CT apparatus is capable of providing a cross-sectional image of an object. Furthermore, the CT apparatus may represent an internal structure (e.g., organs such as a kidney, a lung, etc.) of the object without superimposition of adjacent structures, as compared to a general X-ray apparatus. Due to these advantages, a CT apparatus is widely used for precise diagnosis of diseases.
A CT apparatus emits X-rays towards an object, detects X-rays that have passed through the object, and reconstructs an image by using the detected X-rays.
Furthermore, an MM apparatus uses a magnetic field to capture an image of a target object. The MM apparatus is widely used for the accurate diagnosis of diseases because stereoscopic images of bones, lumbar discs, joints, nerve ligaments, etc. can be obtained at desired angles.
The MM apparatus uses a radio frequency (RF) multi-coil including a plurality of RF coils, a permanent magnet, gradient coils, etc. to acquire MR signals, and reconstructs an MR image by sampling the acquired MR signals.
As described above, medical images obtained by various medical imaging apparatuses represent an object in different ways according to the type of a medical imaging apparatus and a scanning method used.
A doctor may analyze a medical image to determine the presence of disease or abnormal health conditions in a patient. Accordingly, it may be necessary to provide an apparatus and method of processing an image to generate a diagnostic image so that a user, e.g., a medical practitioner, may easily observe or diagnose a patient's disease.